Elevator door



June 17, 1930. J. w. PEELLE ELEVATOR DOOR Filed neo, 12, 1924 Patented `lune 17, 1930 UTD PATET OFFICE JOI-IN W. PEELLE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE PEELLE COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A GORPORATON OF NEW' YORK ELEVATOR DOOR Application led December 12, 1924. Serial No. 755,446.

My invention relates to elevator doors, and more particularly to elevator doors of the counterbalanced, and related types, in which an elevator door section in its opening movement passes downwardly of the sill at the door opening closed thereby, and is arrested in its downward movement and supported in this position in a manner to be capable of utilization for the supporting of loads passing between the floor of a building and the elevator car.

In elevator doors of this type, it has heretofore been the practice to utilize the top bar of the lower door section for suliicientlv closing the gap between the edge of the Lsill of the door opening and the edge of the elevator car, to permit ordinary wheeled vehiclesto pass from the building sill to the caror vice versa, without such jarring and jolting as would tend to disturb, or spill, the load upon such vehicles.

Structural limitations in this type o-f door necessitate the positioning of the door sections away from the door sill and the elevator shaft adjacent thereto, from one-quarter to one-half an inch, and the positioning of the edge of the elevator car presented toward the wall of the elevator shaft a distance of from an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half from the innermost portion of the door structure, these space allowances sometimes being arbitrarily fixed by building department ofiicials, and being requiredA to compensate for irregularities in the elevator, the door and the elevator shaft construction.

Notwithstanding the presence of these spaces, the old type of counterbalanced door, in which the lower door section is stopped and supported with the upper face of its top bar substantially flush with the sill of the door opening, has gone into extensive use and has proved highly satisfactory, notwithstanding that by reason of the aforesaid gaps perfectly smooth trucking has not been secured, and that where articles such as hand trucks, pianos or similar heavy articles having small wheels or rollers were to be moved across such doors, a specially designed construction of door was required.

VVit-h the above conditions in mind l have produced an elevator door by whichfwhen the door is in the open position, a continuous smooth trucking surface will be presented from the sill of the door opening to upon the elevator' car, the plate forming this surface being brought into and out of the operative relation as a result of the opening or closing movement of the lower door section and being supported when in its operative position by the rigid top bar structure of this door section and the'supporting means cooperating therewith, so that the weight of loads passing between the floor of a building and the elevator car will be transmitted in large measure to the elevator door and through the supports therefor to the wall of the building forming the shaft.

By this construction the plate spanning the space between the door sill and the elevator car may be made of fairly light metal stock, since it is supported for substantially the entire width of the door opening and for the major portion of the space between the edge of the sill and the elevator car by the lower door section itself, the car-itself also assisting in giving support to this plate.

Toavoid an unnecessary increase in the weight of the upper door section for counterbalanced purposes, the plate` or truckable sill, is pivotally supported from the wall of the elevator shaft within the door opening, this arrangement also permitting the vautomatic positioning of the plate as a result of the downward movement of the lower door section when opening the door, and the moving of the plate from within the shaft automatically as a result of the upward, closing movement of this door section.

`When the doors are in the closed position, this plate will be so overbalanced as to in- (ill.

eline toward, and lean against, the door section, the width of the plate being such tha-t it will bear against the inwardly directed flanges of the metal angle bars forming the trame of this door section. Means are also provided by which the plate is not permitted to overrun its normal position when the door is being closed.

The plate, forming the truckable sill, is connected with suitable pivotal members which must be spaced above the floor or i. building' sulliciently to permit the edge ot' the plate to be brought sui'liciently close to the l'loor of a building to ensure smooth trucking.; thereto and therefrom, the constrr-.ction being such that the plate is so supported adjacent these pivots as to relieve them from the weight ot the load upon said plate. Such plates are sometimes required to receive lOLds running` into the tons and the various supporting members, such as the means last referred to, the lower section itsell'l and the elevator car all contribute toward the support ot this load in large measure, and are f merely relie ed from the jars and jolts trom the vehicles carrying such loads, by the presence of the pla-te itself.

The invention consists primarily in an elevator door having a vertically and downwardly movable section, a trucking` plate, pivotal supports adjacent the sill of a door opening and adjacent one edge ot' said plate whereby said plate will be normally over balanced toward said door, said plate being.;l

ot a length to project across the top of said door section and engage the ljloor of an elevator car, whereby said plate. will completely close all gaps between the sill and the car and be moved into or out of the operative relation to the car by the opening,` and closingl movement of said door section, and means a'l'ilordinpT support for said truckinfny plate intermediate its point ot pivotal support and the elevator car, whereby the major portion oi the weight of a load passing upon said plate will be transmitted to the wall ot the elevator shaft; and in such other novel features oi' construction and combination ot parts as are hereinafter set lorth and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Reterring tothe drawings,

Fig. l is a vertical section of the upper part ot' the lower door section when in the pen position, of the adjacent portion ol the wall of the eleva-tor shaft, and of the plat form of an elevator car.y a door in the 'closed position, and the position of the trucking plate when the door is so closed being shown in dotted lines; and

Fig". 2 is a condensed plan view of the invention as shown in Fig. l.

Like letters refer to like parts in both of said views.

vElevator doors of the type to which my invention relates usually are composed ot an upper and a lower section conne :ted bj flexible chains passing over sheaves, these two sections when the door is in the closed position meeting' at a point substantially midway of the height oi the door opening. Rail structures for such doors dil'lier in their construction accordingl to whether the door sections are to have movement in the saine vertical plane or in parallel vertical planes, or pass duringl their opening` or closing movement from one vertical plane to a parallel vertical plane. in the accompanying dra wings l have illustrated only a portion ot the lower section ot a door, since the scale o'lZ the completed structure will be so small as to be oit little assistance in undcrstandinl the drawing, and unnecessary lo an understanding;` of the invention. The rail structure shown, is that used when both door sections have movement in the same vertical plane, it beine understood that the use oi other types or rail structures do not in any way change the construction or mode oli operation as to those characteristics oi.I the door, to which my invention relates, to vvit: the trnclable sill feature.

In the drawings, (L indicates the sill at a door opening, and the jambs o'f this door opening. The rail structure as shown at c and with the co-operating shoes c upon the door section, is of a well known construction. The door proper has an angle metal frame 7^', and a panel f which may be of corrugated metal or metal sheathed wood. as desired. The top bar oic the angle metal frame f is reA intorced by a T-bar ff securely bolted to the top angle bar of the frame y by a plurality ot bolts f3, so as to incorporate this T- bar in 'the top bar structure of the door scction, and impart suitlcient rigidity thereto to sustain any loads to which the door mav be subjected when in the open position. u

Secured tothe guide rail structure at opposite sides of the door, are stops g adapted to receive projecting ends by the T-bar f2, these stops ordinarily being adjustable, and being so positioned as to support the lower door section with the upper tace to its top bar. substantially flush with the sill a. These stopstransmit the loads imposed upon thc top bar ot' the door section to the wall ol thc shaft, and thus relieve all portions of the door section below this top bar trom th(` stresses or strains o'l" such loads. The projecting` ends o't the T-bar f2 are also ordinariljy used as a hanger bar to which the flexible connections'are attached, so that the support ol this hanger bar in addition to relieving' t-he door from the effects ot strains and stresses from the load upon the top bar of the door, also relieves the connecting;`

chains from such load.

The general construction above referred to has heretorore been used extensively in this art, my invention relating more particularly to an improvement in this construction of door by which the gap between the lower door section and the sill, indicated at a, and the gap between the inner Yface of the door andthe platform o of the elevator car, indicated at e, will be completely closed when the door is in the open position, by a plate 7i constituting a truclable sill and forming a continuous surface extending from the sill a to the platform o, over which, loaded trucks may pass without receiving or jolts irrespective of the size of the wheels upon said trucks. This plate ,is supported intermediate its forward and rear edges by the top bar of the door, thus utilizing said top bar structure, and its stops foi supporting the major portion of the load passing over said plate.

The manner of mounting` said truclable sill or plate 7L is such that it-will not only be ctuate'd automatically as a result of the opening or closing movement of the door section, but will not interfere with the free initiation of the closing movement of said door section.

Secured to each amb Zi of the door opening' adjacent the sill a, is a amb plate z' having a bearing opening 7;/ therein. This bearing is positioned slightly above the sill a and within the door opening from the shaft sufficiently to secure a leverage at which the lower door section acts, upon this plate, during its closing Vand openingmovements, tg not only ensure a fairly rapid movement oi the plate 7i, but avoid any substantial resistance to the starting of the closing movement of the door. rillhe plate 7L is pivotally mounted in relation to the jainb p-lates z' by means of fittings having trunnions and extensions 7' extending inwardly of the sides of tne plate, these extensions being of a thickness to engage the sill a when the plate 'z/is in its lowered position, and of. a width if clesped, to project beyond the. sill'intlo the shait, tlius utilizing the extension y of the trunnion littinvs to support the plate at the edge of the n C n K p l sill, and relieve the trunnions y and the janio plates i from the stresses or strains from loads passing over the plate 71j. The primary object of these extensions y is to relieve the trunnions y' from the elfiects of such loads through the support of the plate from the sill, adjacent said trunnions. when trie sill plate is lowered, although this support may be extended to any desired point laterally of the plate by elongating said extensions y.,

rlhe sill plate k is secured to the extensions 7" by means ofrivets or in any other desired inanner, as indicated at y2. Q

Secured to the sill a between the axis of the trunnions j and the edge of the sill is stop 7c for limiting the upward inoyeinent ot the sill plate z, the rear edge of plate It extending beyond said axis away iroin the shaft to an extent not to interfere with the free pivotal movement of the plate but to engage said stop Ic when it has been raised suii'iciently to permit the free-passage of the door section. This rear edge of the plate is beveled, or formed downwardly, as shown at 7i to ensure smooth trucking as a vehicle passes to or from the plate, the forward edge of said plate being similarly beveled or formed downwardly as indicated at if.

The operation of the herein described elevator door is substantially as follows lVhen the door is in the closed position as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. l, the sill plate will be raised as indicated, the forward beveled edge 71.2 thereof engaging the side bars of the angle metal frame f of the lower door section, and the rear edge 7L of said plate substantially abutting against the stop bar 71: secured to the sill a. When the plate is in this position, while the plate will be so overbalanced as to lean against the door section, the gap m will be protected by said plate 7i so that no small objects can pass between tlie edge of the sill and the door section when the door is closed. At the same tin e said plate 7i will serve as a kick plate, which will protect the door not only from blows from the foot of a warehouse man, but, under some conditions, from impact of loaded trucks therewith. Of course the distance between the rear and forward edges of this plate will vary with different widths of doors, and when narrow doors are used the total span of the plate is only about six or eight inches, and no substantial protection from impact of trucks with the door is afforded. lVith thicker doors, however, where the plate may require to be ten to fifteen inches from the forward to the rear edge, such protection will be afforded.

As a door is opened, when the top bar of the lower door section passes the edge 7b2, the normally overbalanced sill plate 7L will descend with the door at a progressively increasing` speed until the top bar structure of the door engages the stops for supporting the lower door section in its fully open position, consisting in the form of the invention shown of the stops g and the co-operating` ends of the T-bar f3. The posit-ion iii which the door is thus supported should be such as will bring it slightly above the sill a so as to bring the upper face of the top bar into substantial engagement with the plate 7i, any load upon this plate being thus transmitted to the door. Slight clearance may be allowed to compensate for irregularities in the material of the co-operating parts, since the plate L will have suliicient spring under heavier loads to close the slight space afforded by this clearance, and still have the door proper sustain the load for substantially the entire width of the door. The sill plate will be unsupported only for the short gap a: between of the sill plate L sufficiently great to cause the portion of the plate adjacent the latter or forward edge 7a2 to lap the edge of the car platform e for a suflicient distance to afford ample support for the plate at this point. lf

the operator should stop the car a trie high,

the cables of the car will ordinarily have sutlicient spring to cause the car to adjust itself to a load moving over the plate. However, the car is ordinarily stopped with suficient accu lacy to ensure the effective fanctioning of the sill plate and the door co-operating therewith.

As herein stated, the extensions j support the sill plate adjacent the edge of the sill and relieve the trunnions ,7' from' any loads to which the plate 7L is subjected. The stop 7c may also be made of a height to afford a siniilar support adjacent the edge of the sill. The importance of supporting the sill plate intermediate the door sill and its point of engagement with the elevator car platform, and of relieving the trunnions from the weight of loads upon said sill plate, is due to the fact that loads of several tons frequently have to be borne by this plate, and the available space is not such as to permit said plate to have sufficient inherent strength to sustain such heavy loads.

The positioning of the trunnions within the opening from the edge of the sill will afford ample leverage at which the top bar of the door may act upon the sill plate to avoid any material increase of effort required of the elevator operator when starting the closing movement of the door. Then the door has received its initial impulse, the plate /L will offer no resistance to a continued movement of the door as the leverage constantly increases and the weight of the plate is not sutlicient to make the effort in closing the door appreciably greater than that of an ordinary counterbalanced door.

By mounting the trucltable sill plate within each door opening, not only is the lower door section relieved from the weight of this structure, but the necessity for providing additional counterbalaneing weight for the upper door section is avoided.

As illustrated clearly in F ig. l of the drawings, when the door is in the open position,

the entire space between a point of t-he sill within the edge thereof at the shaft, and of the elevator car, for substantially the entirel width of the door opening, is completely closed, and a continuous smooth trucking surface is afforded. All weight of moving loads not capable of support by the sill plate 71, itself, will be transmitted to the top bar of the lower door section and therethrough to the wall of the shaft, excepting that port-ion of the load which is supported by the exten sions j, or said extensions and the stop 7a, the load upon which is also transmitted to the wall of a shaft, thus relieving thc trunnions from such loads.

By the construction described, not only is every portion of the door structure below the top bar thereof and the chains connectiner the door sections, relieved from the rac ing strains and stresses from loads passing to and from an elevator car, but small articles are prevented at all times from falling to within the shaft from any floor at which a door may be opened.

lVhile elevator doors of the type to which my invention relates, are supposed to be liept closed except when a. car is at a door opening, at times such doors are left open by the operator. Freight elevators, however, are ordinarily so constructed that even if this be the case, an elevator may descend without interfering with the plate, and may impart moves ment to the plate if the elevator ascends. However, when descending, in the event of a lower door being left open, it will be necessary for the operator to partially close this door as the car approaches the Hoor, only slight movement of the door, however, beingl required to remove the plate from a position where the elevator car will engage saine.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the precise details of construction shown in the drawings, it being apparent that such may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, what l claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent, is

l. An elevator door having a vertically and downwardly movable section, a trucking plate, said plate being of a length to project across the top of said door section and enthe floor of an elevator car, bearing plates on the jambs of the door opening adjacent the sill thereof, trunnion fittings sccured to said plate and co-operating with said bearing plates respectively, whereby said plate will completely close all gaps between the sill and the car and be moved into or out of the operative relation to the car by the opening and closing movement of said door section, extensions upon said trunnions fittings of a height to engage the sill when the door is open, whereby said trunnions are relieved from all stresses from loads upon said plate, and mea-ns affording support for said trucking plate intermediate its point of pivotal support and the elevator car, whereby the major portion of the weight of a load passing upon said plate will be transmitted to the wall of the elevator shaft.

Q. An elevator door having a vertically and downwardly movable section, a trucking plate, said plate being of a length to project across the top of said door section and engage lll) the floor of an elevator car, bearing plates on the jambs of the door opening adjacent the sill thereof, trunnion fittings secured to said plate and co-operating with said bearing plates respectively, whereby said plate will completely close all gaps between the sill and the car and be moved into or out of the operative relation to the car by the opening and closing movement of said door section, eX- tensions upon said trunnion fittings of a height to engage the sill when the door is open, whereby said trunnions are relieved from all stresses from loads upon said plate, and means whereby downward movement of said door sect-ion is arrested with the top bar thereof supported substantially at the level of the floor of a building adjacent the sill of a door opening and in engaging relation with said trucking plate, so that the major portion of the weight of a load passing upon said plate will be transmitted through said top bar to the wall of the elevator shaft.

3. An elevator door having a vertically and downwardly movable section, a trucking plate, said plate being of a length to pron ject across the top of said door section and engage the floor of an elevator car, whereby said plate will completely close all gaps between the sill and the car and be moved into or out of the operative relation to the car by the opening and closing movement of said door section, bearing plates on the jambs of the door opening adjacent the sill thereof, trunnion plates secured forwardly of the rear edge of said plate cosoperating with said bearing plates respectively, the trunnions being so positioned with relation to said rear edge as to permit the free upward turning movement of said plate, a stop upon the sill of the door opening adapted to be engaged by the rea-r edge of said plate when it is moved upwardly, whereby said plate will be held in an inclined position and be caused to engage said door section to form a barrier to protect the gap between the sill and the door section when the door is in the closed position, and means whereby downward movement of said door section is arrested with the top bar thereof supported substantially at the level of the floor of the building adjacent the sill of the door opening and in engaging relation with saidplate so that the major portion of the weight of the load passing upon said plate will be transmitted through said top bar to the wall of the elevator shaft.

Ll. An elevator door having a vertically and downwardly movable section, a trucking plate, pivotal supports therefor adjacent the sill of a door opening, said plate being of a length to project across the top of said door section and engage the floor of an elevator car, said pivotal supports being so located as to cause said plate to be normally overbalanced toward said door section, a stop engaging said plate and holding it at an incline toward said door section, whereby said plate will completely close all gaps between the sill and the car and be moved into or out of the operative relation to the car by the opening and closing movement of said door section, and means aording support for said trucking plate intermediate its point of pivotal support and the elevator car, whereby the major portion of the weight of a load passing upon said plate will be transmitted to the wall of the elevator shaft.

An elevator door having a vertically and downwardly movable section, a trucking plate, pivotal supports therefor adjacent the sill of a door opening, said plate being of a length to project across the top of said door section and engage the floor of an elevator car, and having its forward and rear edges inclined downwardly, the rear edge being positioned inwardly of the shaft with relation to sai-d point of pivotal support, said pivotal supports being i so located as to cause said plate to be normally overbalanced toward said door section, a stop engaging said plate and holding it at an incline toward said door section, whereby said plate will completely close all gaps between the sill and the car and be moved into or out of the operative relation to the car by the opening and closing movement of said door section, and means affording support for said trucking plate intermediate its point of pivotal support and the elevator car, whereby the major portion of the weight of a load passing upon said plate will be transmitted to the wall of the elevator shaft.

6. An elevator door having a vertically and downwardly movable section, a trucking plate, said plate being of a length to project across the top of said door section and engage the floor of an elevator car, whereby said plate will completely close all gaps between the sill and the car and be moved 'into or out of the operative relation to the car by the opening and closing movement of said door section, bearing plates on the jambs of the door opening adjacent the sill thereof, trunnion plates secured forwardly of the rear edge of said plate co-operating with said bearing plates respectively, the trunnions being so positioned with relation to said rear edge as to permit the free upward turning movement of said plate, the forward and rear edges of said plate being downwardly inclined, a stop upon the sill of the door opening adapted to be engaged by the rear edge of said plate when it is moved upwardly, whereby said plate will be held in an inclined position and be caused to engage said door section to form a barrier to protect the gap between the sill and the door section when the door is in the closed position, and means whereby downward movement of said door section is arrested with the top bar thereof supported substantially at the level of the floor of the building adjacent the sill of the door openingand in engaging relation with said plate so that the major portion of the Weight of the load.

passing upon said platte will he transmitted through said top b21-r to the Wzl-11 of the elevator Shaft.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto affxed my Signature this 11th day of December,

JOHN V. PEELLE. 

